Shigure's Storybook of Twisted Tales
by BluePhyre
Summary: Shigure, the All Powerful Author, retells the classic fairytales in a more... relatable... way for Tohru and the others. Unfortunately, they don't exactly appreciate it. Poor Shigure is in for a lot of pain. First fairytale complete.
1. The Storybook

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Baskets or any of the fairytales you shall read in this here story.**

Ok, hey people. This is gonna be a big story full of short story fairytales. Sorry if it's a little confusing... Kind of like _A Holiday for Everyday_, which I haven't updated since Christmas... -.-' Heh... sorry. Anyway, this is the opening, the only part, so far, that doesn't take place in the book.

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It was early morning, and the sun rose surely over the Sohma residence. In the kitchen, a girl with long chocolate locks slaved over a stove, singing to herself as she began to make omelets for her house mates. From her lips spewed a senseless melody, an improvisation diluted with her feelings of bliss that came from the quiet sounds of the world waking up before her very eyes. "La di di da," she warbled, going into a refraid that seemed to echo the chirps of the birds nesting in one of the closest trees as they awoke to the rising sun.

But despite her happiness, the girl couldn't help but feel... uneasy. She knew something was going to happen. She wasn't sure what it would be, or why, and she couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing. But she still had an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach, which often rooted itself there when something gigantic was about to happen. But she shrugged it off with her melody; it was just a feeling. She had been wrong before.

"Oi," a voice called from the next room over, and an orange-haired teen came strolling into the kitchen lazily, one hand hidden under his shirt as he scratched his chest and the other hanging limp at his side. With a lazy plop, he collapsed at his place at the table and let out a rather large yawn, resting his forehead against the cool wooden surface before him. "Morning, Tohru."

The girl, Tohru, let out a quick nod before, glancing forlornly at the slowly condensing egg yoke, scurrying over to the refridgerator. From inside it she pulled a carton of milk and, without bothering to find a cup, she placed it in front of th carrot top. She knew he wouldn't use one, anyway. Cups cramped his style.

"Good morning, Kyo-kun," Tohru replied warmly, finding her way back to the stove. The omlette was ready, and she plopped it onto a plate before, with a quick wash of her hands, rolling it up and then sectioning it off with a knife. "Breakfast is almost ready! We're having omlette and rice, if that's fine with you. There's not much left in the fridge. I suppose I should go shopping after work..."

Tohru didn't get a response, and she hadn't expected one. If she knew Kyo, and indeed she did, he would have been too enamored with his goal of shugging down half the carton of milk to respond. She recieved a grunt. Tohru smiled widly. Yes, she knew Kyo well.

There was a comfortable silence that fell in the kitchen, and Tohru only dared to break it with a few lyrical lines as she drew out all the plates and utensils blue eyes flickered to the rice steamer; there were only a few minutes left... Perfect.

"I'll go with you," Kyo stated, and Tohru smiled to herself, blushing as she continued to go through the motions of preparing the table for breakfast.

"Go where?" Another man by the name of Shigure made his entrance into the room, his smirk larger than both Kyo and Tohru remembered. His eyes traveled from Tohru's blush to Kyo's bashful face, then back again, and somehow his smile grew more. "Good morning, my precious flower. And you too, Kyo." He, too, took his seat at the table, producing a rather large, leather-bound book from where he had kept it hidden behind his back. With a large slam, it came down on the table. Shigure fingered the cover, opening the book to the title page. Before either Tohru or Kyo could find it's title, he smalled it shut one more and placed it at his side on the floor.

"What's that, Shigure-san?" Tohru asked, trying to lean further to read its title. Shigure smiled and gently pushed her shoulders in the opposite direction and, blushing at her nosiness, Tohru moved to where four plates sat, each equipped with a pair of chopsticks and bearing an omlette slice atop a mound of white rice. She placed a plate at each side of the table, and immediately Shigure dived head first into the food. Kyo, still drowzy, was less enthusiastic, but even then as he took the first bite, his eyes seemed to shine just a bit more.

"Sohma-kun, breakfast is ready!" Tohru cried, making one final trip to supply each place at the table with a cup of steaming tea. The, she herself sat down at one of the two remaining plates and began to eat daintily and slowly.

"It's a storybook," Shigure answered as the silver-haired teen named Yuki took his place at the table sleepily, not muttering a word as he began to eat the delicious food Tohru had cooked. "I want you three to read it together, along with the others. I feel it will have some meaning to you. After all, I wrote it."

"Momiji-kun, Kisa-chan, Haru-san, and Hiru-san are coming over today," Tohru stated between bites. "Should we read it with them? I'm sure Hiro and Kisa would like a good story." Shigure's mouth turned up in a mischievious smile, and he nodded slightly before shoveling another bit of egg into his mouth to hide his smirk. Kyo and Yuki caught his grin and, sharing a rare look, began to feel appprehensively about the large book sitting beside Shigure.

"Only the first story, my flower," Shigure replied, "I am quite sure you will... enjoy it."

After returning from work with Kyo, who was carrying a considerable amount of groceries in his arms, Tohru found those she had mentioned sitting boredly in the Sohma house's family room. Shigure resided over them with a tough smirk, and one could easily tell he refused to let them leave until the story was read. Hatori sat in the corner, checking his watch, thanking the good Lord for giving him the judgement to not leave the motor in his van running and hoping that Akito wouldn't particularly miss his absence in the time this visit was taking. He had been ordered to pick Hiro, Haru, Kisa, and Momiji up from Shigure's house. He had arrived two hours ago, and still there was no progress towards leaving.

"Can we get this over with?" Hatori asked, handing the storybook to Tohru as she made her way into the living room with Kyo close behind. He was curious to know what the importance of this simple book was, but he knew it couldn't be good. After all, Shigure, the King of Naughtiness, had written it himself.

Tohru unsuspectingly opened the book to the first page, then the second. After the title page came a picture of a large, beautiful castle residing over a great kingdom. And then, she turned to the next page. Promtly, Kyo, who sat beside her, turned impeccably red. Tohru's vision grew hazy, and she felt the blood rush to her cheeks as well.

"Oh my," she whispered, but she just couldn't look away from the book. There, taking up the whole page, was a picture of her and Kyo, both dressed up as royalty, in the midst of a beautiful kiss. Over the top read the title, _Sleeping Beauty_.

"Well," Kisa spoke up, not knowing what laid on the page her cousin and her big sister were staring at, "are you going to read it outloud, Onee-chan?" Yuki and Hatori sent a combined glare at Shigure as Tohru tried to stutter out an answer. The dog promtly fell over in maniacal laughter.

"I su-suppose," Tohru murmured, taking a deep breath to rid herself of her tomato-like coloring. "Once upon a time, in a distant land, there was a small, peaceful little kingdom..."

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And so our first tale begins. I wanted to redo this first bit, too, because it wasn't well thought out, and too short. With my editing skizizzles, it went from 617 words to 1,515. I also took the first line from what is the next chapter, or Sleeping Beauty, Act I. Well, please review! It would be very nice of you. And, of course, read on. This is very stupid in comparison to the next chapter, anyway. Ja' ne!

- Neko Warrior, nya!


	2. Sleeping Beauty, Act I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, nor do I own Sleeping Beauty, the Disney version, the ballet, or any other reproduction of the original fairytale, which truly belongs to no one thanks to copyright laws. Ah ha... I think. Whatever.**

Hey, guys. I decided to redo this, because I realized just how lame it is. So I'm revamping Sleeping Beauty, which will take priorit over the other part of The Little Mermaid, because I really don't writing Kyo/Kagura, even if it ends up canon like the original Little Mermaid tale... So, this is the resives Sleeping Beaty, Act I. Enjoy.

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Once upon a time in a distant land, there was a small, peaceful little kingdom. Its rulers went by the names of King Katsuya and Queen Kyoko, and they were a kind couple with love for their country embedded deep in their hearts. But as nice and selfless as they were, the one gift they truly desired, a child, had never the chance to be bestowed upon them, for Queen Kyoko was sick. She had been told she could never create another life, but the couple still prayed for a miracle. The years passed by, and the Queen, who had been thrust into power at the age of merely thirteen, grew sadder and sadder.

But their people prayed to the gods for their monarchs, that they would together have a child so beautiful and perfect that all their wait would have been worthwhile. After all, the Queen and King were the most gracious of rulers. How else could they repay them? And, finally, the people's prayers were answered one fine, sunny April day. Their princess had been born.

The King and Queen called her Tohru, for she was a beautiful sight to behold; with soft brown hair and big blue eyes, everyone who saw her immediately fell in love. And, upon the day of her birth, Kyoko and Katsuya held a banquet for all the people of their kingdom, inviting both peasants and blue bloods alike. They sent out invitations throughout the land, promising free food, entertainment, and a chance to behold the beautiful baby girl they were proud to call their daughter.

From Lady Kisa the Tiger Mistress and her beau Lord Hiro the Royal Sheppard to Baron Shigure, an avid fan of Dog Breeding, and his noble friends, Count Ayame the Snake Tamer and Royal Doctor Hatori, a Dragon Friend in the making, all came. Even Katsuya's old friend from a distant kingdom, King Kazuma, was coming. Accompanying him would be his young son, whom he had found orphaned on the streets an brought to live with him, Prince Kyo. He and Tohru were affianced, it was said.

And so, on this joyous day, people throughout the small kingdom gathered in the Royal Palace to feast and congratulate the happy little family. As the visitors wafted in, their eyes bright with anxiety to behold the gorgeous princess, a chant rang throughout their masses and could he heard for miles.

"Health to the Princess," they cried, "wealth to the Princess. Long live Princess Tohru!" And then, with added salutations to their highnesses, "Hail to the Queen! Hail to the King! Hail to the Princess Tohru!"

As they all gathered in the great hall, the royal guests, from Duke Yuki to Viscount Hatsuharu, along with his well-bred and improperly-dressed fiancé, the soon-to-be Viscountess Isuzu , were announced. "Make way for King Kazuma and Prince Kyo!"

And the people did, clearing a wide path for the two to walk. The first who paraded in was tall, with a large gold crown resting atop his long, graying hair. Behind him, a young boy marched to the beat of his own drum, a smaller gold crown sliding loosely down his vivid orange hair.

The older man strolled up to Katsuya, who indeed was quite handsome with both his hair and eyes the inspiration for Tohru's appearance, and hesitated not to pull him into a friendly hug, complimented with a pat to the back.

"Wonderful to see you, my old friend," he greeted the King, pausing to stare behind to where the Princess' cradle sat. "Congratulations on the new arrival," he chuckled. "I see you've been busy."

"We've been busy since we married," Katsuya muttered slyly, a smirk coming to his young, flawless face. "The results are only what happens to new. With that matter dealt with, I'm delighted to see you as well. Getting on in the years, I see? Prince Kyo is well, I take it."

The two men glanced back to said prince, who was toying with the oversized crown resting atop his head. Kazuma laughed and smiled at his son, who caught the look and grinned cheekily back.

"I am extremely pleased to have him present," Kazuma murmured, still watching as Kyo stopped to pick his nose instead. "It's much less lonely with him around. Sometimes I wish I really had married."

Katsuya glanced over his shoulder to where Kyoko stood, Tohru cradled gently in her arms as she cooed sweet little nothings to the infant. "It's amazing," he said. "I never thought I could be so happy until I found her out there in the streets. And then Tohru came… How can life get any better?"

"Wait till she calls you 'Papa,'" Kazuma chided. "_Then _you'll be the happiest man in all the kingdom. Just wait."

"I'll hold you to that," Katsuya laughed. "Enough of this small talk. May I present my lovely wife and daughter, your highness?"

Kyoko marched over to the two, a scowl on her face. "Well about bloody time someone realizes there's a lady present," she scoffed playfully, her frown suddenly turn upside down as she went to place Tohru in Katsuya's open arms and hug Kazuma. "You old miser, it's good to see you finally have some ruddy sort of a family!"

"I'm not that old," Kazuma protested as he pulled away, motioning for Kyo to join him. The boy had watched with wide eyes as his father associated with the two strangers, gawking at their openness. No one had ever hugged Kazuma in his presence!

"Hey, obaa-chan, ojii-san," Kyo muttered, waiting for the two to bow to him. Kyoko blinked. Tohru gurgled in amusement as she watched her mother's face go from temperate shock to rage.

"Old lady!?" she screeched, whacking the young prince on the head hard enough to cause a large bump to rise. When the young prince winced, Kyoko smiled and patted his bump gently. "Do you wish to hold the Princess, Kyo-tono?"

Before he could reply, the queen thrust her daughter into his arms, and the rest of the court cooed with adoration for the young betrothed. Kyo, however, just scowled, sticking out his tongue at Tohru. She giggled, her laughter ringing throughout the court like church bells, and the Prince holding her blushed and chuckled as well.

"Aren't they just the cutest couple?" Kyoko asked the two kings, both of them smiling at the younger two as well. "They'll certainly fall in love with each other, and our grandchildren will be so beautiful!"

Katsuya laughed, pacing his arm around his queen. "Tohru's just been born, koishii," he chided, "and Kyo's just a boy. Lay off the wedding plans, okay? When the time comes, you'll never want to give her up."

"As long as my baby is happy, I'll never regret letting her go," Kyoko protested. "At least I'll let her go quietly, anyway. But you, Papa, are a different story. Tohru will be your little girl forever, I believe."

"You're too right," he replied with a smirk, "Miss No-Eyebrows. Even five years ago you would have scoffed if I ever mentioned children."

Kyoko rolled her eyes and overlooked her husband's comment, because she did indeed have eyebrows. Now, anyway. And even when they had met, she only had a lack of eyebrows because she had attempted to cook, instead managing to blow up the "food." It wasn't like she had shaved them off on purpose or anything…

Suddenly, the announcer's voice reigned over the expanse again. "Please welcome," he cried, "the Three Good Fairies, Arisa, Saki, and Kagura!"

The queen squealed in delight as three shimmering lights - one blue, another purple, and the last one a vibrant green - flew into the court, glistening as they expanded to reveal three eternally young women, each drastically different from each other.

The first, Arisa - though she preferred to go by her surname, Uotani - had long, beautiful blonde hair and fair skin. Transparent wings, sparkling with dark blue pixie dust, sprouted from strategically placed holes in her peasant dress. Her brown eyes were narrowed with annoyance, and her eyebrows creased to show it, her lips into a small, frustrated pout. Though, when she laid eyes on the sight before her, she burst into a grin and went to attack Queen Kyoko with a fierce hug.

To this, the queen replied with an embrace equally bone-crushing, and Uotani began to turn blue. As she released, Kyoko laughed at the bewildered look present on the fairy's face.

"I still am stronger than you," the Queen bragged. "Always was, always will be. Even after giving birth."

Uotani scowled and shrugged. "I never said I was stronger than you, Kyoko," she replied. "I, however, will outlive you be eons. I'll be here when there are carriages that drive themselves and buildings as tall as mountains. But you? You'll be worm food by them."

"Pleasant greeting," Katsuya drawled, a smile coming over his face. "How long has it been since we last met, Arisa?"

The blonde smirked. "Not long enough, Katsuya. And it's _still_ Uotani to you. Even if I love you, I can't tolerate the person who stole Kyoko away from us, can I?"

"You sound like an angry father-in-law," King Kazuma laughed, and the fairy glared in his direction.

"Nice meeting you too, your Highness," she said, sarcasm heavy in her voice. "You ought to strike me with a better second impression, or I won't deem it fitting for _your_ son to marry Tohru, eh?"

"I quite like him," the second fairy interrupted, and all eyes flew to her. She went by the name of Saki, and also preferred to be called by her surname, Hanajima. With long, wavy black hair that seemed entirely too dark against her sickly pale skin and dark purple attire, complimented with a black, high-necked cloak, she was easily the most formidable-looking of the three. Kazuma laughed and gulped nervously.

"Thank you, Good Fairy," he murmured, his eyes darting to Katsuya. His fellow king shrugged and turned to stare at Hanajima as well.

"Call me Saki," she demanded, a warm smile crossing her face. Everyone turned to look at her, shocked. "What?" she asked, pouting at all who stared. "It's my name."

"A name you don't give out too often, might I add, Hana," Kyoko laughed, opening her arms wide. Hanajima was at her side in an instant, but edged away from the certainly painful hug. Instead, she patted the Queen's shoulder and kissed her cheek. Hanajima, as immortal as she was, didn't want to risk such a fate.

The last fairy pouted, her pink-painted bottom lip protruding as far as anyone could ever manage. With a flip of her shoulder-length brown hair and a batting of eyelashes that framed chocolate brown eyes, she began to whine.

"Why am I always the last one?" she moaned. Kyoko rolled her eyes and stomped over to her friend, encircling her waist with a gentler hug than she had given Uotani, who let her slight jealousy show in a fresh scowl, angry that she would be the only one leaving with back problems and bruises.

"Best for last, I say," the Queen said, "Kagura, how have you faired? It's been ages since I've last seen _you_."

The fairy shrugged, her shimmering green wings bobbing up and down as her shoulders did the same. "I've been decent, I suppose, but the Prince I love just ignores me. We're meant to be, you see. He's a lot younger, but I can wait for him to grow. I'm immortal, after all."

"Good luck, then," the Queen said. Just then, Tohru cooed extremely loud, and all eyes were suddenly on her. Kagura screeched.

"Prince Kyo!" she exclaimed, running up to the young boy and ruffling his orange hair. "My love, how long has it been? Why haven't you responded to any of my letters!? Why don't you love me!?"

"What a crazy, random happenstance. I didn't know she meant _that_ young," Katsuya sighed as he walked over to his wife. The Queen shrugged and continued to watch, her eyes trained on the baby resting in Kyo's arms.

"She fell in love the second Kyo offered her his favorite toy, Neko-san," Kazuma muttered, his finger extending towards an orange stuffed cat that rested in the arms of a very patient-looking castle guard. Kyoko laughed sheepishly, reminding herself to give the enduring man a bonus later on.

"Kagura-nee," Prince Kyo moaned, blushing as the fairy pinched his cheeks. "That hurts! Let me go…"

"Let you go, you say," Kagura growled, her eyes beginning to flame with anger. "I'll never let you go!" And with that, she launched herself at the boy. Kyo darted away from her in time, but she climbed back up quickly and began pursuing the young prince.

"Kagura, stop it!" Kyoko cried as she gasped in horror, watching Kyo run with Tohru in his arms. "You're going to hurt Tohru-chan! Stop!"

Kyo groaned even as he ran circles around the court with an angry fairy and now a rambunctious queen attempting to save her daughter on his tail. "I'm gonna be killed too, you know!"

"Forget you," Kyoko screeched back, "give me Tohru, or I'll kill you both!"

Kagura, meanwhile, hollered, "Why didn't you write back!?" Before she could get any further, Queen Kyoko sprang forward and tackled the fairy. Her eyes suddenly grew happy, and she looked around. "What happened?"

Kyo, who was dizzy from running in circles, didn't pay heed to the two women who were suddenly in his way. As he tripped over them, Tohru, bundle and all, flew from his arms.

"Tohru!" Kyoko screamed, springing up immediately - pushing Kyo halfway across the court in the process - to catch her flying daughter. But Uotani, too, had rocketed away to catch the baby, and the two collided. Instead, the Princess landed in the Court Jester, Momiji's, arms.

He looked startled, wondering where the infant had come from. But everyone gave a relieved sigh as he tickled under her chin, and Tohru giggled like nothing had happened.

Kyoko scooped her daughter up within seconds of her landing, placing her in the cradle as she hissed at everyone who dared to look at the baby Princess.

"Get these bloody blessings over with before my daughter is killed by your insanity!" she screamed, edging away from her infant slowly as Kagura, shivering in fear under Kyoko's watchful eye, approached.

"My gift to thee, sweet princess," she murmured in a soft, soothing voice, "shall be the gift of beauty." Her dainty finger was placed upon Tohru's forehead, and a green glow emitted from the extension. "Thou shall have hair of a thousand sweet chocolates, eyes of brown depth none shall even try to describe, fair, skin as silky as pure, creamy clouds, and lips that inspire the pink sunrise."

The greenish light disappeared, and Kagura edged away from the cradle, smiling nervously as Queen Kyoko glared at her., as did the whole court. Too late, Kagura discovered, she hadn't rhymed once within her blessing. Uotani approached next, her face determined and unafraid.

"The gift I bestow to thee, fair babe, shall be of kindness and adoration," she said solemnly, her eyes trained on the cooing infant. "Thou shall love to help those in need, Princess, and thou shall never tarry over oneself. Thou shall treat all with graciousness, and love you will give to all that deserve such. Thou in turn shall be loved by all whom are gifted enough to meet thee."

Golden fairy dust, this time, enveloped the baby and lingered for a second, disappearing as if it were a trick of the light. Uotani cast a smile Kyoko's way before backing down for Hanajima.

"Dearest Tohru," the dark fairy said soothingly, her hand tracing Tohru's smooth, pinkish cheek, "my gift to you shall be…"

Hanajima was stopped short as a terrible just of wind blew into the vast room, a darkness that rivaled the moonless night sky sweeping over the court. The Three Fairies gasped, as did the rest of the guests, and flew to the Princess' side. Something horrifying was coming.

"King Katsuya, Queen Kyoko," a maleficent, dark voice echoed throughout the crowd, "how _nice_ it is to meet thee." Unto the dark chaos came a bright light, and for a second all who looked upon the scene were blinded. And then, in place of the beam of brightness stood a stately figure.

Short was the intruder, but still a sense of hatred and evil seeped into the hearts of everyone near, shuddering down to their bones. She had short, pitch black hair and dark eyes that matched her wicked smile to the T. With an evil cackle, she loped over to the Queen and ever so gracefully offered her hand.

"I am called Akito," she said, her voice spiced with honey and oil. "I did not receive an invitation, but the _whole kingdom_ was invited, so I gave to you the liberty of doubt. I was meant to be invited, was I not?"

Kyoko's eyebrows narrowed in suspicion, though she went to take the hand of the foreboding character before her. Uotani growled, running between the two. "Don't touch her, Kyoko," she barked. "_She's_ the wicked sorceress I told you about in our letters. The Zodiac Enchantress!"

"Ah," Akito said, smirking almost coyly to herself. "So I my identity had been revealed by the petty Good Fairy Arisa. I had wondered if my _nonexistent_ disguise would be enough to fool such a dimwitted fool of a fairy. I suppose not." A laugh escaped her lips, and a ball of purple glowed between her fingers. "'Tis true, I fear. I _am_ the Zodiac Enchantress, and the census says I am indeed wicked. But no worries, I shall still bestow a gift upon the little monster princess. I might be evil, but I am not thankless."

"Don't touch her!" Kyoko screamed, rushing to the cradle's side. She knew not of this Akito, but if Uotani had said she was a threat, the Queen would _never_ let her near her precious Tohru! Not her only daughter…

Before Kyoko could make it to the cradle, however, Akito's hand had begun to glow and she stretched it out to the Queen. The two tigers flanking Lady Kisa on either side growled in protest, shuddering under an unknown force, but their eyes began to grown a deep violet, and they burst into motion. Kisa gasped, trying to grab both of their bejeweled collars, but even as she shouted commands to stop, it was too late. A cry echoed throughout the hall, and then a gasp escaped from every spectator's slackened lips.

"Kyoko!" Katsuya cried in horror, clawing the air uselessly as he watched his wife fall to the tigers. Their mouths had encased bother her arms, and her trembling legs and collapsed under her. As she collapsed into a kneeling position, the wild cats had not followed her movements, and both her arms were stained a deep crimson from wounds that had been caused by the tiger's sharp teeth.

"She's hurt the Queen!" the soldier holding Kyo's stuffed cat cried, and immediately more of his kind had rushed from hidden corners of the hall, all surrounding the comparatively small witch. With a stereotypical cackle, Akito's hand shot in the air once more, her fingers contracting into a claw-like pose before striking out once more.

"What the…" one of the guards boomed, his deep, sonorous voice rising a concern above the rest as Katsuya watched helplessly, still shocked from his wife's fall. The man no longer felt the urge to kill the traitor to the kingdom, but instead to destroy. He glanced at his hands, and they were green, scaled, and slowly disappearing. He looked around; the other guards were becoming scaled, slowly growing smaller.

Before any of they could take another step towards the cackling witch, they had all been transformed into snakes, which began to hiss at the guests. Kazuma's eyes widened in horror, and he quickly pulled Kyo back to protect the young boy with his own body.

Akito watched this exchange and laughed to herself, her eyes glowing a neon purple as she glanced to a dog cowering behind Lord Shigure. The canine stopped his quaking and stood stock straight in response, his eyes glazing over a deep amethyst as he charged towards Kyo and Kazuma from behind. Too late, Shigure realized, and as he grabbed for the renegade mutt he found himself pinned to the floor by a rogue snake soldier.

The dog jumped and tackled Kyo to the ground. The Prince screamed, and when King Kazuma glanced behind him for his son, he gasped in horror before jumping into action to save the boy, who cried out in fear as the canine towered over his small body. He managed to pry the dog off him, only after it had sunk its teeth into Kyo's tiny arm, which began to bleed incessantly.

"Stop, you devil woman!" Uotani's voice shattered the chaos, and all eyes came to her figure as she held her metal pole like a sword in front of her tall, lean body that was hunched over into a proper fighting stance.

Akito chuckled and shook her head sadly, "I have not graced you all with my presence to play with you, little fairy," she scoffed. "Let us proceed; I cannot keep the Princess waiting, can I?"

At this, Katsuya was snapped out of his horror-induced trance and took it upon himself to charge at the witch. Uotani slapped her forehead, but he had taken Akito by surprised and knocked her over. Just as he was winding up the first punch he would ever deal out, her eyes glowed purple once more and a ram materialized from the air, ramming its horns into Katsuya's side and knocking him half across the court.

"Foolish king," she muttered, getting up to dust herself off. "You all have tested my patience! I do not take kindly to such things. I fear your dear little princess will pay the price of your own stupidity. I was only going to mar her adorable little face with utter ugliness. Now, she will die because you all _dared_ to smite me."

"No!" Kyoko cried, struggling once more to free herself from the tigers' grip. She cried out on pain as her jerks embedded their teeth deeper into her flesh, but she did not stop. "No, don't kill her! Katsuya, save my baby!"

The king grunted from where he laid on the marble floor of the court, attempting to stand to his feet. As he climbed to his knees, a pain erupted in his stomach and, looking down, he realized that his stomach had a large gash running over it. With a groan, he collapsed back to the ground, his head pounding from the pain.

"Somebody, save Tohru!" Kyoko continued to cry for help, but there was no one in a position to answer her pleas. Akito had the upper hand; she was just too powerful.

"Don't worry, Mother dearest," Akito crooned mockingly, walking to the crib side to scoop the tiny, cooing princess into her own pallid, stick-like arms. "Even I will not take the life of a baby, not when I have a crueler option. Little Tohru will indeed grow up beautiful and loved by everyone. That has always been her destiny. But when she turns sixteen…"

Akito cackled gently to herself, sweeping one bony finger across Tohru's soft, blushing cheek. "This dear child will eat a single, poisoned onigiri on her sixteenth birthday, and she will die slowly. And then, _then_ you will truly suffer, because your lives will be filled with her perfection. Like a meteor in the sky, she will light everything. And then as she passes, everything will seem darker than it ever was. Yes, this is my gift to thee."

Kyoko sniffed in her furry confines, trying to deny the tears that were soon to fall from her eyes. She had refused to cry a long time ago; she would try not to break that oath. "Tohru," she moaned, "my Tohru…"

"Farewell, _your highnesses_," Akito said mockingly, and, upon placing the small bundle that was the cursed princess back into its cradle, swept her sceptor over her head. A sort of dust sparkled over her, and she disappeared.

Both the tigers holding down Kyoko lost the glow in their eyes and, confusedly, took in their surroundings before releasing the Queen;s arms and returning to Kisa's side. The dog, which had, until Akito's departure, had still been trying to hurt Kyo, whined and sat lazily in the midst of the court, sending a gaze over to Shigure. The dog master shook the last snake off him, which, as it flew, returned to a human male.

There was an awkward silence of mourning that traveled throughout the court, all pondering what had happened. Kyoko sniffed once more before, without a single wince, she lifted her arm to wipe away the tiny tears clinging to the edges of her eyes. And then, she made her way to her baby's side, tracing her facial details with the utmost gentleness. And then, she collapsed to her knees in sobs that painfully shuddered throughout her body.

Kazuma, carrying a frightened, bleeding Kyo, made his way to Katsuya to help him and and bring him over to his wife and child. Both kings crouched beside Kyoko and began to comfort her, trying to stop her cries.

The Three Good Fairies cast glances at one another and broke out into quiet, whispered arguments. Then, with twin glares and a shove, Uotani and Kagura urged Hanajima towards the royal trio.

"Your highnesses," the dark fairy murmured, wringing her hands together almost nervously. Three pairs of eyes focused on her, while Prince Kyo sat off on the other side of Tohru's crib, sniffling silently.

When Hana paused, Uotain groaned and Kagura scolded her, "Go on, now!" The girl nodded and smiled sadly.

"I still have my gift left, your highnesses," she announced. "I cannot lift the curse on Princess Tohru, but I can make it better. Survivable."

Queen Kyoko sniffled appreciatively and once again paused to wipe away her tears. Then, with a smile that matched the one Hanajima wore to comfort the Queen and King, she urged the fairy, "Proceed. This means so much to me, Hana."

"I know," the fairy murmured, and, closing her eyes for concentration, she waved her hands over the small, squirming baby. "Little Tohru, loved by all, you will not die from the poisonous onigiri, but instead fall into a deep sleep, in which your kingdom will follow. Only will this sleep be broken when true love's first kiss is bestowed upon your lips."

Kyoko then stood to hold her baby, caring not that her blood began to soak into Tohru;s swaddling clothes. "I'll never let you go, Tohru," she whispered to the baby princess, kissing her forehead gently.

Royal Doctor Hatori stepped up to the Queen, his hand finding her shoulder, guiding her slowly to the hospital wing. "Let's get you bandaged up, your highnesses," he said, motioning for Katsuya, Kyo, and Kazuma to follow. "Anyone injured will receive treatment here. Everything will be fine."

The Three Good Fairies nodded in agreement with Hatori, but they couldn't help but wonder if it would end happily after all.

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The chaos had calmed down finally as King Katsuya and Queen Kyoko had been bandaged and once more took control as the strong leaders they had always been. But the memory of the Queen, laying on the floor bleeding and sobbing for her daughter's life, would never be erased from her subjects' minds. A sense of foreboding hang in the air like a heavy, dark cloud that hid the sun from the eyes of the people below.

Kagura was one of these people as she looked out over the kingdom from a tower room the Three Good Fairies had been given to stay in for a bit. Behind her, Uotani and Hanajima conversed in whispers.

A great fire was built in the center of the courtyard, and the light from its flames, even from such a distance, danced across Kagura's face. Squinting, she watched as Kyoko barked orders to her own regiment of soldiers, demanding them to burn every onigiri recipe in the kingdom. Katsuya sat, less flamboyant in his efforts, in a shadow where he was quietly ordering a small group of messengers to spread the word of the princess' fate and the actions that were taking place to prevent it. They were to detail in the new Onigiri Ban Act, in which all producing of the rice balls was outlawed. Both he and his queen were determined to never let their daughter suffer her curse.

"It's not enough," Kagura sighed, turning away from the window to face her magical companions. "Akito's magic is too powerful. No fire can stop her curse, and neither can a simple bill."

"Let them go through the motions," Uotani told Kagura, urging for her to join them at the small table she and Hanajima sat at, sipping tea. "It is closure to Kyoko and Katsuya. We must just think of another way to save the Princess."

"Of course," Kagura agreed. "I never dreamed of stopping either of them. Their efforts may be futile, but the precaution is always reassuring. Besides, Kyoko might throw me into the bonfire herself if I attempted to stop her."

"Naturally," Hanajima murmured, unbothered by this statement. Kagura sighed and plopped down in the empty chair, grabbing a teacup and holding it out for one of her friends to pour her tea. When Hanajima complied, she plopped a few sugar cubes into the translucent liquid and took a large gulp.

"What ever could work?" Kagura moaned, slumping forward to rest her chest against the table. "Akito is just too powerful… She will predict whatever we do to prevent her from providing the deadly onigiri. You know, she must know about Hana-chan's work against her own spell by now. She must be outraged."

"Oh, I think she knew even before I thought to cast my magic," Hanajima admitted with a sigh. "It's just like her to know that. Perhaps I could turn little Tohru into a man-eating flower? I could raise her, just like I raise my others. Man-eating plants can easily last sixteen years."

"Without sabotage, perhaps," Uotani groaned. "Akito could just send in a cold wind and kill all your most dangerous flowers, Hana. She always does."

Hanajima nodded sadly. "True, Uo-chan," she murmured, "how I miss Megumi. He was my most wonderful flower… He did much good for Katsuya, as well. Such a help he was…"

"Maybe we could travel to another dimension with her?" Kagura suggested, and Uotani and Hanajima both paused to think it through.

"A decent idea, Kagura," Uotani muttered, "however, Yuko isn't very fond of me, and she's the only dimensional witch left. And even if we were to escape with Tohru, how would we get back? Yuko refuses to let anyone _control_ where they go."

"We just couldn't steal Kyoko and Katsuya's daughter forever," Hanajima sighed. "Heaven knows what prices we would all pay to travel the dimensions, as well. Yuko can be very cruel."

"Maybe we could take her somewhere within the country?" Kagura pondered, and Uotani and Hanajima nodded in agreement.

"That could work, Kagura! Of course, we wouldn't be able to use our magic until Princess Tohru is safe, but I think it is a price I can pay for Kyoko's happiness. Without Tohru, she will be sad forever."

"Then that is what we will do," Hanajima declared. "We must tell their highnesses at once!"

And so, the Three Good Fairies, with consent of the King and Queen, took Princess Tohru into the wilderness to raise her as their own. Kyoko and Katsuya watched with heavy hearts as their only light disappeared with the fairies into the forest.

To excuse Princess Tohru's absence, she was proclaimed dead by influenza, and the kingdom mourned the loss of their only princess. Only King Katsuya, Queen Kyoko, and King Kazuma knew that Tohru was alive, and even then they did not know of her whereabouts. And even as they missed her every day, their missed her silently, for that was all they could do to protect her.

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I'm sure someone caught the xxxHolic/Tsubasa Chronicle reference. xD Well, I had to put it in. What other dimensional witch do you know, honestly? And I've been watching more Tsubasa... It's affecting me. Sigh. Oh well.... Well, I guess I have to work on Act II now, so fare the well, my friends. Godspeed, and ja' ne!

- Neko Warrior, nya!


	3. Sleeping Beauty, Act II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, Disney, or he fairytale of Sleeping Beauty. D So great right?**

Grr... the whole story is only like... nine thousand words... GRRRRRRRR... that's not very good. I want a nice, long story. Like Neko Love! It's over 40,000 words! I can't believe twenty-two full word pages are only worth nine thousand words... '( That's with my very annoying commentary and everything, too! Gah... you don't really care, do you? Heh, I'm prolly just boring you to death with this talk. Well... read on.

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"I can't believe we still haven't found her! The sunset nears, and she has escaped from existence! She couldn't have just disappeared, though!" Akito yelled in a rage, kicking anything that was remotely close to her. All her minions cowered in fear, except for one, a little brown bird which perched on Akito's throne.

"Ee, we've searched everywhere, your majesty, ee, ee," a rat said defensively, trying to protect his furry little head.

"Yes, your highness. Every village in the kingdom," a dragon added, holding one of his four talons up as a pointer.

"And every town, too!" A bunny chirped, bouncing happily. Akito frowned at his happiness.

"And don'tttttt forgetttttt all the foresssstsssssss," hissed a snake, his tongue daring out of his mouth and back in with the blink of an eye.

"And all the cradles! Ooh ooh!" A monkey offered, his voice amused. "Every pretty little cradle for a baby so sweet, ooh ooh, with shiny brown hair and pink lips and brown eyes! Ooh ooh!"

"Cradles, you say?" Akito asked while stroking the little bird's head. "Did you hear that, Kureno? They've been searching for a baby!" Akito suddenly roared with laughter, and every dragon, bunny, snake, rat, boar, dog, monkey, ram, tiger, cow, and horse laughed along with her in hopes of not maddening the wicked Wicca. "All these years they've been searching for a _baby_!"

Suddenly, Akito's voice changed from sickly sweet to raspy and angry and she gripped her dark scepter hard.

"IDIOTS! FOOLS! IMBECILES!" She yelled, kicking a rather large vase and shattering it, showering all her minions with pieces of sharp clay. They wailed in pain and scampered away, trying to cover their wounds. The dragon fumbled to cover a bleeding left eye. "Now, Kureno, you are my last hope. Don't fail me. Find the girl." And with that, the little bird flew off, and Akito sighed, rubbing her forehead in frustration.

'_Why am I surrounded by idiots?'_

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The years of taking care of Tohru went fast for the fairies, and soon it was nearing her sixteenth birthday. They only had one day left with her now and sadness haunted their every move. But even as this sadness grew, they continued acting happy, for Tohru.

"Tohru-kun!" Uotani yelled coming up the stairs to the second floor of their home, what was an abandoned woodcutter's mill. She ran up the stairs, but nearly slipped as she found the old wooden floor polished until one could look at it and see their reflection winking back at them.

"Yes, Uo-chan?" A beautiful girl asked. She had long chocolate brown hair that fell a little below her waist, deep, happy brown eyes, and lips a pretty shade of pink you could only find in the morning sunrise, just as Kagura had described. She was adorned in a charming peasant's dress, the dress white and the over corset black.

"You polished the floor, _again_?" Uotani asked, glancing at the pink rag and wood polish, which Kagura had bought from the market, in her hands. "It looks nice, but you don't have to do this."

"Oh, yes, I know. But I want to help!" She chirped, her light pink lips forming a smile. Uotani shook her head, as if to get a thought out of her mind, and held out a little brown wicker basket.

"Well then, can you pick a few berries for us?" She asked, and Tohru nodded happily. She grabbed the basket from the fairy's hand and skipped down the stairs, careful not to slip. "Remember, don't talk to strangers!"

"Yes, don't talk to strangers!" Tohru called back, slipping out the door. But as soon as she was out, her smile disappeared. "Sorry, Uo-chan." She said then ran off to a place nearly in the opposite direction of the berry bush, which lied in the forest that surrounded the little cottage.

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"Now, now, we must do something for Tohru's birthday!" Uotani called as Kagura and Hanajima walked into the kitchen. "It is her last with us."

"Oh, it must be something dreadfully special!" Kagura swooned, just thinking of what they could do.

"I can make her a dress fit for a princess! And you, Hana, can make her a beautiful cake!" Kagura harrumphed rather loud, putting her hands on her hips as she did.

"Hana-chan can't cook, and you don't know a thing about sewing." Hanajima smiled a creepy smile then brought their magic utensils from behind her back, nearly kissing the dark purple jewel on her scepter.

"We can use magic," she stated, the jewel already glowing. Uotani, however, had other plans and jumped for the rods. Once she had them, they were stuffed away in a corner.

"No, the sixteen years have not yet come to an end. Tohru can still be harmed, and we must stop that," Uotani growled, making sure no one would touch the wands. Then, she returned to a book of dresses she had been fawning over.

"Well then, what will _I_ do? Hana-chan is baking the cake and you're making a dress, but I have nothing at all to do!" Kagura whined, looking down at her empty hands.

"Well of course you have something to do, Kagura! You can be the dummy," Uotani muttered, not noticing that her lips had formed an insult.

"But I'm not stupid!" Kagura protested, although Uo didn't hear her. Instead, she had grabbed a basket of cloth and pulled out a roll of pink silk.

"You hold still, Kagura. You're a bit taller that Tohru, our little shortie, but we all are, so we'll just have to do," Uotani said while cutting out a circle in the pink cloth.

"What's that for?" Kagura asked, staring at the foreign process of making a dress.

"The dress must have a bottom for the feet to go through, of course!" Uotani snorted and Kagura unwillingly stepped into the hole. As her view was cut off by cloth being brought over her head, she heard Hanajima muttering.

"Fold eggs in gently?" And a second later, there was a loud crack, signifying the eggs had broken in Hana's attempts to "fold the eggs".

"Oh dear…"

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As Tohru made her way, she was sure to not step on anything sharp with her bare feet. Eventually, she came to a large weeping willow. Under the tree was a young man with bright orange locks and matching eyes. His shirt was a dark brown, and the vest over it an orange. His pants, boots, and archer's hat all matched the shirt, including his dark brown cape.

"Oi, Tohru!" He said, getting up and walking out from under the drooping branches. "You're late!" Tohru blushed, seeing the handsome man was waiting for her.

"Gomen," she said, bowing her head in solemn apology. A jet black horse trotted to her side and nuzzled her cheek, trying to make her smile.

"Rin, come off it," the man said, walking up to Tohru, who was giggling happily. "It's alright, I don't mind waiting for you." He took the brunette's chin in his hand, tilting it up to see her pretty face.

"Arigatou! But I told you to leave if I wasn't on time… After all, I'm sure you have more important things to do. You wear such noble clothes… Surely they must belong to a noble person," she picked at the silk cloak on his back, blushing as she did. He still hadn't let go of her chin.

"Aw, these things!?! They're from Shishou… He has a few connections," he exclaimed, taking off the cape and putting it on Tohru. "There, now you have more important things to do. Want to go do more important things together?"

Tohru giggled, turning away from the man's strong hand to hide her blush. "I'd love to, _Prince_." It was completely on accident, but his eyes flew open wide. Did she actually know?

"W-what?" He asked, hoping she didn't know. If she did, it all might change. Tohru glanced at him again, wondering why he was so petrified.

"Did I offend you? Maybe calling you Prince was an insult. Gomen. I heard he was handsome so, the next kingdom's prince," Tohru said, her brown eyes wide with forming tears.

"No! Of course not! You didn't offend me at all; it's just that… it surprised me," he replied, blushing. Tohru blushed as well, looking down, for once without a smile adorning her face.

"Then I'm happy," she said, smiling. "Let's sit, I suppose." The two walked to the giant willow tree he had been under before and sat down, Tohru leaning her head on his shoulder, making him blush profusely.

"It's hard to believe we've been meeting here for five years now and yet I don't know anything about your family…" He said, resting his head on hers. She smiled, scooting closer to him.

"You know about my family! I was found by Uo-chan, Hana-chan, and Kagura-chan in the woodcutter's cottage where I live now," Tohru answered, as if it had been drilled into the man's mind by now. But she hadn't really talked much about her family… "I don't know about yours, though… I don't even know your name."

"What do you mean? I've told you all about Shishou, and you know I don't have a mother or any siblings. As for my name, it isn't important…" Tohru sighed, knowing she was proved wrong.

"I have something you don't know about me… Today's my sixteenth birthday!" Tohru exclaimed, lifting her head off his shoulder and turning to face him.

"You should have let me know earlier, now I have nothing to give you!" He nearly yelled, mad. Tohru, however, hushed him with a simple action on placing her finger in his lips.

"You still have time to get me a present… Come to the little cottage just beyond the river at sunset. All I want is proof to Uo-chan and Hana-chan and Kagura-chan that I can talk to someone besides them without being killed, or worse, unchaste. They seem to be under the illusion that everyone is out to get me…" He nodded happily; glad to do something for Tohru.

"You mean that they think someone would rape you if you just talked to them!?!" Tohru nodded, blushing.

"They are so overprotective, but I'm glad I met you." He smiled at her comment, and she blushed deeper.

"Of course, Princess," he said regally, then leaning in to kiss Tohru. She, too, leaned in towards him, her eyes drooping. But just as their lips were about to meet, a voice yelled out.

"Tohru! Where are you!?!" Immediately, Tohru sprung up, her obedient nature calling her to do so. But as she got up, she noticed her basket on the ground a few feet away, empty.

"Oh no, I was sent to get berries! Oh dear, I'll be found out!" She cried, but he, having met Tohru for over five years now, had it drilled deep inside his head that she would always come when her caretakers would want her to get berries, and only then could she find an excuse to see him. They had met that way, he nearly trampling her with Rin, as she had picked berries from a little bush.

"Here, Tohru. I figured you might need these," he pulled a little sac out from behind his cape and poured its contents into the basket. Little purple berries only covered the bottom of the basket, but it was enough for a liable excuse. He leaned in to kiss her like he had tried before, but she didn't notice and twirled around, taking a few steps away. When his lips didn't meet hers, he fell over with a grunt. "Bloody hell…"

"Arigatou!" She called, running off towards the sound of the calling voice.

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"Shishou!" The man who had been with Tohru earlier called, riding through castle gates at full speed on his black horse, Rin. He rushed by many servants, all who begged him to slow down. Although, he didn't heed to their requests.

"Yes, Kyo?" King Kazuma asked as he climbed down the steps to meet his son. Kyo was beaming as he hopped off his horse and stood beside his adoptive father. "Oh, you better change. You don't want to meet the girl you are to marry in those clothes."

"Oh, but I've met her already, Shishou!" Kyo exclaimed gleefully and Kazuma perked up.

"You mean to say you've met Princess Keiko, Kyo?" Still elated, the young prince shook his head no.

"I'm not going to marry her, for I love another! Her name is Tohru and I shall marry her. I met her in the woods five years ago, and we have secretly been meeting ever since." Kazuma's mile dropped.

"But you must marry Princess Keiko; she is the key to adjoining Katsuya and my kingdoms! Don't you want to keep the throne?" Kyo shrugged stroking Rin's mane.

"I can keep the throne, and we can stay allies with Katsuya's kingdom. Surely Baron Momiji could care less about the throne. He's fine working as the jester in Katsuya's court. I'll just marry Tohru. She's perfect, and even Rin likes her."

"But…" Kazuma started to protest, although Kyo didn't hear him, He had mounted his horse and rode off to who knows where. "I suppose I'll have to tell Katsuya…"

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"Tohru-chan, come here," Kagura yelled, a gargantuan smile gracing her face. "We've got the loveliest surprise for you!" Tohru jumped over a log and into Kagura's sight carrying her near-empty basket.

"Gomen, I didn't get many berries, Kagura-chan!" She bowed apologetically and Kagura brought her back up by her shoulders, smiling her giant smile.

"It doesn't matter, Tohru-chan! We don't need the berries! The berries can be fed to the birds, skunks, demons from Hell for all I care! But come, you must see our surprise," Kagura squealed, pulling Tohru along with her. Many berries fell to the ground, leaving a clear trail on where they had been. Only a moment after the two hurried off to the cottage, a little bird flew up and followed the berries, pecking at them as he went.

Still squealing, much like a pig (how ironic), Kagura dragged a panting Tohru into the house. Suddenly, Tohru straightened, gasping.

"Oh my, you shouldn't have!" She said excitedly, glancing over the sight before her. On the table was a huge cake with pink icing all over it, as well as little white icing roses. Sitting on her designated chair at the dinner table was a beautiful gown made for a princess. It was made of sleek, pale pink silk. The bodice was strapless and adorned with little diamond and pink sapphire beads shaped to look like little roses dappled randomly across the dress. Thee pattern continued onto the skirt, which flared out and secured in the back with little silk ribbons to keep the small train in the back and out of stepping way. "It's gorgeous! A dress made for a princess!" The little bird from before perched himself on the window, perking up when he heard the word princess.

"Oh, but it _is_ for a princess," Kagura exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "You're to be wearing this tonight when you go to the palace for your homecoming." The bird was on his toes.

"I have no home at the palace! I am a mere peasant, and I live here! Besides, I have a friend of mine coming over tonight. He shall be most disappointed if he finds an empty house," Tohru mumbled, tears gathering in her eyes.

"A _friend_?" Hanajima asked, wrinkling her nose slightly. "You surely haven't met anyone, no less a boy. That might mess with your marriage to the Prince." The bird looked close to exploding, his wings flapping at enormous speeds.

"It would be better if you don't attach yourself to any boy, Tohru-kun. It would be less painful marrying your betrothed that way." Uotani agreed, nodding slightly to no one in particular.

"But I can't marry the Prince, I am not a princess!" Tohru exclaimed, looking down at her old, worn clothes. She certainly didn't look like a princess, or live like one. She didn't even wear shoes or jewels! No princess in this kingdom would do without those!

"Oh, but you are, Tohru-chan," Kagura piped, her smile growing even larger. "It is hard to believe, but you are Princess Keiko Tohru Honda, and we are the Three Good Fairies!" With that, the bird chirped a little song to himself happily and took off in the direction of a dark corner of the sky where thunder could be heard and lightning seen.

"But that's impossible! I can't marry the Prince, I love another," Tohru cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I won't marry the Prince! I just won't! I'm sorry, I just can't," Tohru bawled, running up the stairs and to her room.

"Oh, that went horribly," Uotani sighed, sinking into an empty chair. "She has fallen in love, and yet she must marry Prince Kyo…"

"Poor Tohru-chan… I will go comfort her," Kagura said, grabbing the dress as she went after Tohru. "I shall get her dressed, as well."

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"Ha! I have found the little wench at last! She shall die by midnight!" Akito yelled, laughter evident in her voice. "And better yet, she has fallen in love with a peasant! I shall sleep well tonight, Kureno!" The wicked woman stoked the head of the little bird that had spied on Tohru, a malicious smirk curling her lips upward.

"Yes, Akito," the bird chirped, his image fizzing and melting. Then, the dissolving colors solidified and grew until a handsome young man with the same brown hair as Tohru stood beside his mistress, no emotion on his face. "The young princess shall die, and your revenge will be completed."

"As you said, Kureno. But now, we must set a trap for the peasant boy our darling monster has grown to be besotted with."

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"What a joyous occasion!" King Katsuya exclaimed, staring out his chamber window with Kyoko. Both of the parents were smiling down at the crowd of people waiting for their adored daughter to arrive. Kyoko was also bouncing up and down with joy.

"It is definitely so. Keiko will be back with us at last. I hope she likes us." Kyoko said worriedly. It would be horrible if their only daughter came back after sixteen years of protection only to despise her parents.

"She's sure to, darling. We must get down to the court now, though." Kyoko and Katsuya marched down the long room to the door. Just as Katsuya's hand was about to grip the doorknob, however, the door swung open by itself, revealing King Kazuma.

"I've got bad news…" He said, looking to the ground. "Kyo is in love with-…"

"Let us talk of this bad new later, Kazuma! It's time for spirits!" (Spirits are an old way of saying alcohol) Kyoko exclaimed, pulling a jug of beer from behind her.

"Uh… Kyoko, I don't think-…" Katsuya started, but his wife cuts him off by shoving a large mug of beer in front of his face.

"We must toast our Keiko's return!" She said, chugging down her mug-full at an amazing speed. Once done, she hiccupped and refilled her glass. "To Princess Keiko, the adored girl who will join our kingdoms! Long live Princess Keiko!"

"Let us at least use the watered-down wine… I'm sure we don't want to set our first impression upon our daughter as drunken lunatics…"

"Long live Keiko…" Kazuma muttered, allowing Kyoko to clink her glass against his before she gulped all the beer down as she had before. "This is going to be harder than I thought…"

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Joy... this is the second chapter and there's only enough to make a third. This is definetely going to be _Shigure's Story Book_. Ok, people? Great. I just need to write the other fairytales to go along with this one. Can you review to tell me which ones you want to see put up here? You can even suggest a different pairing, like Yukichi. But if I don't like the pairing... There's not a snowball's chance in Hell that it'll be written. Maybe the fairytale, but not with the suggested pairing. The pairings I approve are listed on my profile. Anyway... thanks for reading! Ja' ne!


	4. Sleeping Beauty, Act III

**Disclaimer: I do no****t own Fruits Basket, Disney, or the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty. xP never would've guessed, right?**

Hey, again. So... yeah... This is now _Shigure's Storybook of Twisted Tales_. The end of Sleeping Beauty has come, but do not fear! I'm in the process of mass-producing fairytales. Still, I would appreciate it if you sent a review saying what fairytale you would want to read, FURUBAZIZED! Haha, love my vocab? Great, read on.

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All was dark as Kagura, Uotani, and Hanajima led Tohru, soon to be Princess Keiko again, back to the castle. The young girl had her new dress on, but a pink cloak was drawn tight about her figure, sheltering her from the damp air of the spring evening.

In the pregnant silence the four entered the castle walls, and then a tall tower that would be Tohru's in her princess-ship. Sighing, the three fairies returned themselves to their normal states, flexing their wings as if they had just woken up from a long nap.

"Tohru-chan, we have one last present," Kagura said, putting her wand together with Uotani's and Hanajima's . Then, a pretty little tiara with pink diamonds appeared between the three different rods and Hana placed it daintily on Tohru's head.

"Use it well, Tohru-kun. Now wait until you are announced, and then go down the stairs to meet Prince Kyo."

"Yes, Hana-chan. I must do my duty, for my country. Please, I wish to be alone." She said, a tear streaking down her cheek. "I would tell you to give my apologies to my friend, by I never found out his name."

"Of course, Tohru-kun. Please, take care." The three fairies sighed then enveloped their beloved almost-daughter in one last group hug.

"I'll miss you." Tohru whispered in their ears before letting go and slipping into her room, more tears sliding down her pretty face. She flung herself on the bed in the room, its large canopy enveloping her in colors of pink and purple.

But then, as she cried, a violet glow emitted from the desk and a small plate of rice balls appeared.

"What?" Tohru asked, raising her head from the fluffy down pillow she had been hugging to herself. Her chocolate eyes glowed purple, reflecting the mysterious light. Bewitched, she followed it across the room, reaching for the unfamiliar food.

"Tohru-chan!" Kagura yelled, speeding through the door. Too late. Tohru was already slowly, tauntingly lifting the onigiri to her dainty mouth.

"Tohru-kun, wait!" Hanajima yelled, most unlike herself. She was the first to lunge for Tohru, trying to get the deathly food away from her.

Uotani and Kagura were soon on her heels, only to watch Tohru gulp down a first bite of the glowing onigiri.

"Don't touch it, Tohru!" Uotani yelled, but it was too late. Tohru had eaten the whole onigiri.

"Good, little monster Princess! Eat it! Eat more!" Akito cried out, appearing in a wisp of purple magic.

Her throat gulped down the last onigiri. One second and a few stomach pains later Tohru lay on the floor, her hair sprawled, the tiara laying about a foot away from her. She appeared dead, though her chest was moving slightly.

"Ha ha, the little monster princess is as good as gone!"

"Shut the bloody hell up, Akito! You may have won this battle, but the war shall be ours!" Uotani yelled, rushing to Tohru's side.

"Love always prevails, evil shall never win! Tohru-chan will wake!" Kagura yelled, but her words bothered Akito not one bit. She disappeared, laughing, her faithful bird, Kureno, on her scepter, his face not as triumphant as his mistress's.

"Poor Tohru, Kyoko will be devastated," Hanajima said, walking over to the unconscious Tohru and brushing a lock of chocolate brown hair from her face.

"She shan't know, Hana. We must put them all to sleep, only to wake when our sleeping beauty does," Uotani whispered, still be Tohru's side. "Kagura, you put them to sleep. Hana and I will go find this mystery man."

"Tohru-kun mentioned him going to the cottage tonight…" Hanajima said, her head tilted down in thought. Uotani nodded, a twinkle in her eyes.

"Yes, let's go!"

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"T-Tohru?" Prince Kyo stuttered as he stood just outside the cottage. He gulped nervously, tugging at the collar his golden pure silk cape. He had gone back to change into something more princely, so there he stood in his white and gold formal wear, his golden sword at his side. He had even donned his ever-so hated crown, which he hid whenever he went to meet Tohru. A small bulge in his one pocket was constantly being fingered by the young man. "Here I go…"

He knocked on the door, closing his eyes to relieve himself of his apprehension. That didn't work. His stomach was filled to the brim with dancing, twirling, somersaulting butterflies of all color, shape, and size.

"Come in…" A cruel, poisonous voice called out and the door opened by itself, leading only into darkness. Suddenly, creatures leapt out and grabbed him, pulling him into the darkness. There, in the center of the small room, was Akito. "Oh, I set my trap for a pauper and I caught a Prince! What a nice surprise."

"What do you want and what did you do to Tohru!?!" Kyo screamed, enraged. When Akito only smiled evilly, he screamed louder, knocking away a rather large rat. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU DO!?!"

"My, my, Prince Kyo, you have a nasty temper. She is only sleeping, you know. She will awake to true love's first kiss. I hope you didn't kiss her yet." Akito said, laughing to herself as she circled Kyo like a hawk would its prey.

"Let me go! I have to save her!" Kyo screamed, fighting against the angry animals that were constricting his movement. Tears formed in his auburn eyes but did not fall. "I have to save her! Just have to!"

"And what if she, this Princess of monsters, does not love you? What if you are not her true love?" There it was, the heart crushing question. Kyo winced slightly, trying to shake off animals as he collapsed to the ground.

"I'll bring everyone to her side. I'll stop at nothing to save her," Kyo cried, sniffling in between words. He was being reduced to a sniveling wimp in mere seconds. Was this love?

"How noble of you, Prince Kyo. I'll let you out, say, one hundred years from now, for that bit you just displayed. Before I was just going to kill you, slowly of course," Akito smirked at Kyo's wide-eyed horror. A hundred years? How could he possibly live that long? "Now, take him to my dungeon. Tonight we feast!"

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"Tohru… Tohru… Tohru…" Kyo muttered, her name becoming his mantra. "I have to get out!"

"Wow, this is ironic," a cocky voice said, laughter obviously held back. There, across the cell from Kyo, were Hanajima and Uotani. "Her lover is the Kyon-Kyon!"

"What the hell are you doing here, bloody fairies! The last time I saw you was at Keiko's christening!" Kyo yelled, jumping back as far as the chains on his arms and legs would allow. "Thank God, Kagura isn't with you…"

"Yeah, she'll be mad when you see her later on. Anyway, Keiko needs your help," Uotani said nonchalantly, bringing out her metal pole as she glared evilly at the chains.

"Yeah, sorry about this, but Keiko's gonna need to find another prince to help her with her petty problems. I've got to save Tohru," Kyo said, rubbing his wrists as the cuffs fell limp to the ground, still vibrating from Uotani's hard whacks.

Uotani randomly burst out laughing so hard she had to hold herself up. Even Hanajima was giggling. "Oh my God, that's rich! Seriously, _rich_! You haven't noticed?" A few more bursts of laughter and Uotani explained to Kyo, whose eyebrows were raised, what she meant. "You seriously haven't noticed, wow. Keiko's full name is Keiko _Tohru_ Honda."

Kyo choked on his own laughter, a grin spreading over his face. "You mean her middle name is a _boy's_ name? Ha, Kyoko must have been mad to give her daughter, the _Princess_, no less, a boy's name!"

"I'm astonished; he's a complete fool, thick as can be. How could Kazuma-san pick _him_ as his son, and even more the next _King_?" Hanajima questioned Uotani, who continued laughing hysterically.

"Shut up! I've got to save Tohru!" Kyo shouted, but then heard footsteps pounding on the stone steps. Someone was coming.

"Do what you want. She's in the castle. Have fun!" Uotani winked, disappearing, along with the bars on his window that was just big enough for him to crawl out of.

"Stupid fairies," Kyo garbled, climbing awkwardly out of the window. There he drew his sword and ran to the stables. Yes, Akito was stupid enough, or just cruel enough, to leave his sword in its sheath. Along the way, he took out a few guards with his hands alone. He knew that stopping as many as possible before he got Rin was necessary, for when he got the horse, stealth couldn't be his companion.

As he rode out of the stables, the whole castle acknowledged his escape, thanks to a very noisy Kureno. Akito came to one of the spires, watching him race away on the black mare. "Go, my minions!" She cried, holding out her arms.

Forward came all the Zodiac animals, useful or not. The roosters nipped as Rin's legs. The tigers tried to claw her and her rider down. The bunnies attempted to trip the poor horse. The dragons tried to knock Kyo off. The dogs leapt up and rammed into Rin, biting her flesh. The snakes slithered their way up and made an effort to poison Kyo with their deadly bites. Rats squeaked and attacked Rin's hooves. Boars squealed and prodded the horse with their tusks. Sheep stood stock still in front of the escapees, trying to block their path. The other horses tried to persuade Rin into throwing Kyo off. The oxen mooed and rammed Kyo. Monkeys screeched and adorned Kyo, covering his eyes. And through all of this, Kyo held himself high and Rin kicked them all away. They were determined to save Tohru.

One by one, the animals withdrew, although they were only creations of Akito, not born with souls or minds of their own. Akito knew she needed a new tactic, and fast. Kyo was far beyond the grounds of her castle, almost halfway to the royal castle. Then, she had an idea.

"Kureno, go fetch my amulet and your sword."

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"Yes! I've escaped!" Kyo cried, smirking at his easy escape. "Ha, stupid Akito isn't anything more than a petty necromancer."

"Think again, young prince," Akito's cruel, oily voice hissed. Kyo jumped, looking around to see Akito. She wasn't there! Then, a pitch black snake slithered down his arm, hissing angrily. "Here, you fool!"

"AH!" Kyo yelled, batting Akito off him. As he did, Akito's slithery tail reached to her neck, pressing a certain scale that as bigger than the rest and glowed a bright purple. Her shape melted away as she flew back, until she landed on human feet easily, a glowing purple amulet around her neck. "Bloody hell!"

"If you say so, young prince. This pendant lets me shift into any Zodiac animal I want, so be read for a quick fight." Akito's cruel, taunting laugh was lifted in the air, annoying Kyo to no end. He was being taunted by this pale, sickly-looking _girl_?

"Don't say that quite yet, Akito," Kyo growled, kicking Rin in the side, who charged at the witch. Kyo drew his sword up, like a jouster would. Akito only laughed and tapped the amulet, immediately changing into a black and purple-striped tiger. Rin skidded to a halt and reared in fear, Kyo cursing on top of her as Akito thundered towards them both.

Akito growled and pounced on Rin, but she had undershot it and was looking straight up at hooves about the pound her to death. In the blink of an eye, she was a little rat with a tiny necklace, dodging the deadly hooves. And then, in another second, there she was as a bunny, bouncing above Kyo's head. From there she turned into a horse as Kyo thrashed at her, nearly being squished in the process of somehow dodging her weight. She continued to change, and Kyo continued to dodge. But this couldn't last for long, Akito had barely and scratches, and yet Kyo and Rin were worn out.

"Had enough yet, young prince?" Akito asked, now in the form of a flying black chicken (I plead the fifth on this one… -.-'), flitting around Kyo's hung head, which annoyed the poor boy to no end. Finally, he swatted the now clucking Akito with the hilt of his sword.

"Be serious, Akito. I HAVE TOHRU TO SAVE! I'm not going to give up! Never!" Kyo screamed, tears welling up in his scarlet eyes. "I LOVE HER! I won't give up on her!" He growled, hopping off of Rin and picking his sword up higher. "Now fight me!"

"If you wish, young prince." Akito smirked mischievously, yanking off her amulet. Then, she clasped her hands around it and it began to glow. She thrust it into her abdomen, which caused her whole body to glow and fizzle. A second later, a giant dragon stood in her place, her belly scales a gleaming purple that lit up the countryside, a contrast to her black back scales, which were each like an individual night sky, devoid of any stars.

"Whoa…" Kyo muttered, staring up at the new form Akito had taken. His sensitive ears picked up the nervous whinnying of Rin, but he didn't move, not one inch. Of course, that all changed when the first burst of fire came hurling directly towards his shocked face.

Soon, Kyo was reacting to Akito's attacks with swipes of his sword to the only thing that he could reach. Her toes. Obviously, it wasn't working, for dragons don't exactly have Achilles' heels.

"Bloody hell, this isn't working," Kyo muttered as he paused to wipe sweat from his forehead. Dodging Akito's giant foot, Kyo looked up to her, wondering how he could possibly defeat her. "Wait… That's it!"

Kyo hopped farther away from Akito, scrambling up a very tall hill. Now he was about at her stomach's height. At least it was a bit better. Kyo growled angrily, knowing what he would have to do.

"I only have one shot at this," He muttered, drawing back his sword like a javelin. Then, he threw it forward. Just as Akito noticed what he was doing. She bellowed a dragon roar in anger, fire puffing out.

"Kureno, now!" She yelled in a last attempt to kill Kyo, and Kureno sprung up from behind Kyo, his sword ready to slice off his head. He swung the sword down, just as the thrown sword pierced Akito's heart.

"How dare you kill Akito!" Kureno yelled, his sword swinging close to Kyo's head as he jumped into the air, the glow of Akito's slowly shrinking body illuminating his mournful face.

"Bloody hell!" Kyo screamed, whirling around to kick Kureno away. He didn't have his sword. Not good. His kick worked, pushing away his attacker. But that wouldn't ask for long. "My sword!" Kyo yelled in surprise as he saw it sticking out of Akito's now human body.

He stumbled towards it, trying to get a good amount of distance between him and Kureno as well. As Kyo bent over to pick up his sword, Kureno caught up and lifted his sword with both hands, ready to plunge it right through Kyo's back.

"Huah! Di-!" Kureno yelled, but was interrupted by a hard kick in his side that sent him flying away. Rin nickered with amusement and nudged Kyo towards the castle. Kyo shook his head and ran towards Kureno. A firm black horse neck stopped him dead in his tracks as he ran into it.

"Go to Tohru. Kureno won't bother you." The horse whispered, smiling at him, well, as much as a horse could smile. Kyo's jaw dropped about a foot as he stared at his steed. "What?"

"N-Nevermind… Be safe." Kyo managed to stutter out before sheathing his sword and running off towards the castle. He quickly threw open the doors, astonished as he saw the whole court sleeping.

"Surprised, Prince Kyo?" Asked the small voice of a very sad Kagura. She sat amongst the sleeping, sighing to herself. "They're all asleep, under a spell, you know. Even Shihan, all asleep."

"What?" Kyo asked, wrinkling his nose. "That would mean I'm here to save Keiko, because she's the lazy Princess with the whole court sleeping problem… An onigiri?" (KOWAII! THUNDER! LIGHTNING! HIIIIDE MEEEEEEEE!)

"Yes, I suppose it is. But you're not here to save Keiko; you're here to save Tohru. A kiss will save them both…" Kagura muttered, looking away sadly. "Our time with them is up, go save her. You'll be able to find her." And with that, she disappeared in a flash of green light.

"Okay… She's speaking in riddles, too," Kyo murmured as he climbed up the stairs to Tohru's tower. How did he know it was her tower? It was either his intuition, or all the neon blinking signs that read: "TO TOHRU". (xP Omg, Kagura's so subtle, right?)

Once he got to the top of the very, very, very tall staircase, and caught his breath, for he had been running, and adjusted his cape, and taken out that breath spray stuff that people use before they kiss people, and ignored his flip-flopping stomach, (Kyo: ENOUGH ALREADY!) he walked into the room. (I really don't feel like writing the end to this, if you haven't noticed.)

And there, his eyes found the sight of Tohru, his beautiful, innocent little Tohru, lying in a bed surrounded by both gauzy and silky cloth hanging from the canopy above. And, resting on her head, was a dainty little tiara. Now, it all made sense to Kyo. (About time, dimwit)

"T-Tohru's a Princess… Princes Keiko," he whispered to himself in awe. "Well isn't this ironic…" Kyo walked to the bed side, parting the drapes and leaning over his Princess. "First kiss true love my ass… Oh well, at least I have an excuse to lay one on her..."

Kyo gulped, looking down at Tohru. (-cough cough- Any day now… and butterfly kisses at night…). Another gulp sent butterflies exploding in his stomach, only to make two more butterflies. (I just want your extra time and your– kiss! Haha, sorry. Na na na na, kiss my country ass! Na na na… When you kiss me… Na na na… Kiss yourself goodbye! Na na na, kissing a fool! Na na na, I'm in heaven when you kiss me!)

"Here I go…" Kyo whispered, leaning in closer to Tohru. (Sha la la la la la, kiss the girl! Ok, I'm done with the kiss-themed songs.) Finally, their lips touched. Immediately, her eyes flew open, but Kyo didn't notice. In fact, he didn't notice that she was awake until Tohru had wrapped her arms around his neck and started kissing back.

Suddenly, outside the tower window, on the balcony, the Three Good Fairies appeared, smiling ear-to-ear. One wave of Uotani's wand sent fireworks bursting and eyelids lifting. Soon, the whole court was awake and cheering for Tohru, or, technically, Keiko, who was currently making out with Kyo on the bed.

"Ahem," Hanajima cleared her throat rather loud, interrupting the two teens from their little kissing session. The two blushed, getting the hint to get their hormonal butts downstairs.

"Look, Katsuya, its Keiko, with Kyo!" Kyoko exclaimed, perking up in her throne. Beside her, both Katsuya and Kazuma smiled. However, Kazuma was rather shocked.

"But, Kyo… love… refuse… Tohru?" He stuttered out, his mouth hanging open as Kyo nuzzled Tohru affectionately as they reached the bottom of the staircase they had entered on. Both Katsuya and Kyoko laughed, smiling knowingly. (Have you noticed all the royals…? Kyoko, Katsuya, Keiko, Kazuma, Kyo… TOO MANY K'S!)

"Keiko's middle name is Tohru, that's what she went by when she was in hiding." The happy king explained, watching as Tohru and Kyo led the first dance.

"Is this a happy ending, Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked, resting her head on his chest as they danced along slowly. Kyo nodded, smiling down at her, a red blush appearing on his cheeks.

"I think it is, Tohru, I think it is."

**The End.**

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La la la... what a pretty ending, right? Love it? Thanks. Hate it? I don't give a damn. So nice, right? Well, I would just like to remind you now to review, saying what fairytale you want me to write next, with what pairing. I'm taking requests, for once! Haha. Ooh, I'm gonna stop talking now, cuz now I'm having a sudden hungering for ramen and tofu! Ja' ne!**  
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	5. The Reaction

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket!

Hallo! Haha, I forgot the reaction, didn't I? Sorry... Well, here it is. Um... yeah.

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"Holy... shit..." Kyo muttered, grabbing the book from Tohru's hands and snapping it shut with a loud thud. "SHIGURE, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" He yelled before taking off with the book in hands.

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"Oww..." Shigure muttered as Hatori re-bandaged his head. "Ha'ri, Kyon-Kyon is mean!" He whined. Hatori only scowled and wrapped the bandage around extra hard, causing another wince to escape from the hound's mouth.

"It's your fault for embarrassing him. Now stop moving and let me finish." The sea horse muttered. Before long, Shigure's head was finished. And then Kyo barged in.

"Hatori, don't even waste your time bandaging him up after I attempt to kill him this time." Kyo muttered, before nailing Shigure with his backpack. Yuki walked in and muttered something about Kyo's improving aim before hurrying upstairs.

"What did you do this time?" Hatori asked, not truly interested. Kyo just growled, and Kagura bounced in.

"That damn mutt invited Kagura over. And she picked us up. At school." Kyo hissed, glaring at both the dog and the boar at the same time.

"What? It's not my fault that Tohru's friends beat you up for two-timing." She said innocently, smiling as if nothing had happened. "You should just choose me, my friends don't hurt you!"

"Yes, but you do." Kyo replied, scowling. This day just couldn't get any worse. Well, that's what he thought, anyway...

"Move!" Uotani's stern voice yelled as she pushed Kagura out of the doorway. "Tohru, let's go upstairs to get away from the two-timer, ok?" She asked, dragging Tohru across the floor with Hanajima in pursuit.

"Now hold on, ladies, I've got a story for you all to read. Kagura, would you do the honors?" Shigure asked, holding out the same book to Kagura. "It's the second one."

"Of course, Shi-san! Ooh, I do love your work!" She replied, opening to the right page.

"Oh no..." Both Kyo and Tohru squeaked, both beet red.

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Haha, Kyo and Tohru are smart. They know now that the book means trouble! Too bad no one else does... Haha, now Ha'ri's here to listen, too! And Hana-chan and Uo-chan! That's gonna be a disaster... Well, thanks for reading. Review? Thanks again. Ja' ne!


	6. The Little Mermaid, Act I

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, or Furuba, or any of the fairyales in this story, including The Little Mermaid. Hmm... Yeah... That's pretty much it.

Hallo! Um... Sorry for not updating this story recently. I seriously can't write when it's light out. But that's solved, because my town is being thrown into eternal darkness by winter. Damn, it would be a lot easier if I lived on Forks... Squee, I love Edward! -glomps- ANYWAY... um... Here...?

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"It sounds so _wonderful_!" Kagura swooned, brushing out her chocolate brown hair absently as it swayed in the slow current of the ocean in which she lived.

"It is! The men up there are completely _bewitched_ by our beauty!" Kimi, Kagura's elder sister, said, leaning back on a rock jutting up from the coral reef around them. Her light pink mermaid tail twitched as she covered her bare chest (sorry, mermaid will be mermaids, and that involves strutting around naked).

"Hmm, well that's kind of obvious. The girls up there wear things to cover themselves!" Isuzu, AKA "Rin", Kagura's other older sister said, scoffing at the idea. "How horrendous! Oh, but other than that, it's wonderful." Six mermaids sat together, Rin, Kimi, Arisa, Saki, Machi, and Kagura, all sister princesses of the sea, talking of the world above.

"I can't wait! My fifteenth birthday is tomorrow, and then I'll be able to see the world above!" Kagura exclaimed, smiling to herself. "I'll be able to see the human world in all its glory…"

"The men!" Kimi and Isuzu exclaimed.

"The quiet…" Machi whispered.

"The fights!" Arisa yelled.

"The mystery…" Saki said, putting it blankly.

"The love…" Satsuki, their mother, said dreamily as she swam towards the six sisters. "Oh, Kagura, I promise you won't be disappointed…"

"I hope not!" She laughed, "Oh, it'll be wonderful, right?" Her sisters only nod before swimming off, sensing that the sharing time was over.

"Honey, please remember, you are not to become attached. It'll only last for one day, so don't fall in love like your sisters." Satsuki said sadly, memories haunting her lovely blue eyes. "Or me…"

"What do you mean? They do not act in love at all…" Kagura asked, confused. "They have never mentioned love."

"To you, no. They don't want to make the same mistake, so they try not to make it seem so… great. It isn't, after all." She muttered, looking away. She knew her face was giving off pain, and she hated it.

"But… I don't understand!"

"Your eldest sister, Isuzu, she fell in love with a man named Hatsuharu Sohma. When he heard her sing, he called her Rin, because her voice reminded him of bells." Satsuki's voice was faint and ridden with pain.

"Mom…" Kagura started, tears welling up in her eyes. Why was she crying?

"And Kimi, she fell in love with Naohito Sakura. She watched him marry someone else that very same day."Satsuki continued, not listening to her daughter's protests.

"Mom, please…"

"Arisa fell in love with Kureno Sohma, from the same family. They actually talked, but soon after he left the beach to go back to his wife."

"Mom!"

"Saki fell in love with Kazuma, but he had a son by the name of Kyo. And Machi, well, she had it worst. She fell in love with a man everybody loved, his name was Prince Yuki. As she watched him, he had a _flock_ of girls just swooning over him. And he never turned any of them down, none but her."

"I won't fall in love, I promise."

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"Oh my…" Kagura said as her head broke the surface of the ocean water. "It_is_ lovely up here!" She stared at the sun, shining happily in the sky, then the birds flying unimposing above. And finally, her eyes found a great, big ship.

On the ship, she saw, were the most _intriguing_ creatures she had ever seen. They looked like the mermen that had courted her down in the ocean; from the top half, at least. But they, she noticed, they didn't have the tails of fish she and her sisters had inherited from their scaled ancestors. Their waists separated into two halves, _legs_, her sister had called them, like the eight legs of an octopus. They moved separately and with ease, unlike her tail, which created movement in the water when she swam. Those legs didn't disrupt anything! They just…. moved…

And oh, the water around them! It was so, very different. Lighter, as if it didn't exist! Maybe that was why the "birds" could fly, like she did in water. Now, she understood what Hanajima meant when she described the surface world as a mysterious place.

"Happy birthday to ye, lad!" A booming voice caught her attention. It was somebody else's birthday, too! That voice, it had come from the ship! Swimming closer to hear better, Kagura smiled.

"Whatever. I didn't want to be out here in the first place, Shigure." Another, more musical, yet still masculine voice, said. _'Oh, he sounds so sad…'_ thought Kagura.

"Oh, stop being a bloody brat, Kyonkichi; we were only trying to cheer you up!" Kagura was too curious; she wanted to put faces to names. So, using one flick of her powerful tail, she sprang up onto one ledge of the hard wooden boat so she could peek over the railing to watch.

"I'm not being- nevermind. Just, you guys party without me." The second voice said, coming from a man with tan skin, orange hair, and matching eyes.

"Oh…" Kagura whispered, smiling to herself as she felt a blush rise on her cheeks. "Wait, don't fall in love! No… listen to Mom…" She jumped off the ledge, splashing into the water.

"What was that?" She heard the man say, and from under the water she could see him leaning over the edge where she had once sat. "Something fell overboard…"

"That was just your luck, lad, because a storm is on the horizon…" Another voice yelled, and the man walked away from the side. And indeed, Kagura sensed a great storm coming. "Just my luck, too, because I'm supposed to leave if a storm comes in...' Kagura thought, staring up at the ship. 'You know what, I'll be fine.'

"Come on, let's go in." The voice said again, and the ship started moving. Kagura was surprised, to say the least, especially when the front nearly ran her over. But then, the storm came in quicker that planned, and the waves became higher, splashing onto the ship in earnest.

"What's happening?" Kagura asked herself, watching as the men scrambled around faster on the boat. The rain had started and it was coming down fast. "The sky is crying... And the men are panicking." Suddenly, a lightning bolt came down and struck the ship. "Oh no!"

Kagura watched as the men screamed and yelled to one another in anxious voices, jumping off the ship ever so often. But where was the orange-haired man? She swam around, hoping to see him above her. Only then did she realize, something orange was sinking down below her.

"He-he can't swim!" Kagura yelled as she swam down to get him. "Oof." He was heavy... But she managed to drag him up to the surface. "Where should I take him?" She asked herself as she clutched him to her bare chest. "The sea caves!"

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"There you go..." Kagura whispered as she lowered the man she had rescued down onto the damp rock surface of the sea caves. "Be safe." She wshispered, before hopping back into the water and swimming off.

"Nnn..." The man moaned as he tried to get up, instead coughing up a good bit of water. Just then, a young girl came along.

"Oh, sir, are you alright!? Come on, let's get you in something warm..." She said dotingly, pulling him up.

"Prince... Kyo?" Kagura asked as she watched the two walk away, holding onto a pocket watch with two words engraved into it. "I-I think I love you."

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Ok, first chapter of the Little Mermaid up. -.-' I don't know why I'm even sectioning this off... I guess because I haven't finished the rest. This is a last-mintue thing, really. Oh, and it's gonna be the original version of The Little Mermaid, not the Disney one. I'm sorry, but I'm not letting Kagura get Kyo, no matter how much anyone wants me to. I hate that pairing so much, but it fits the purposes of this. And Kagura deserves to be the main character in a story, even if she doesn't get the guy in the end. Poor Kags... Well, review if you feel like it. Ja' ne!


	7. The Little Mermaid, Act II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket/Furuba. I think you get that by now, though... -.-' You'd be really stupid if you didn't. And don't worry, I'll tell you when I'm rich enough to buy it.**

I recycle. Wanna know how? I've used that exact disclaimer before. In fact, the document I used to write this has been recycled, too. I love the environment! Aren't I just inspiring!? RECYCLE!! CARPOOL!! USE LESS PAPER! DON'T BREATHE SO WE HAVE ENOUGH OXYGEN! Last one only applies to you people. I'm allowed to use the oxy - another brand I do not happen to own - as much as I want, though I don't have to. Yes, I'm very subtly insinuating I'm a vampire. And only I would come to that conclusion. And yes, I gave a pet name to an element. You should try it. Read on, my pretties! READ!

No, I am not insane...

Yet.

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I'm getting very close.

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"It. Was. So. Wonderful," Kagura exclaimed stertorously to her sisters, fanning herself as pictures of the handsome Prince Kyo flew through her oxygen-depraved mind. Satsuki only watched on in mild interest and concern; much the opposite to the youngest mermaid's sisters. Isuzu was glaring at her nails, Saki was muttering something about grilled meat (something no one but the particular siren could fathom), Arisa and Kimi were making faces at one another, and Machi was, well, sitting in a corner and throwing bits of coral around the room in her frenzy to mess things up.

"Of course it was, Kagura-chan," Satsuki replied, seeing as none of the sisters batted an eyelash at the youngest of their numbers; after all, they had been through the same thing. Or so they thought. Truthfully, none of them had saved a human man from drowning, depositing him into the arms of another. But that wasn't really important, because Kagura was smart enough not to spew the gory details of her adventure to every willing - or unwilling - ear.

Aforementioned mermaid sighed happily for the umpteenth time and collapsed back onto a coral bed. Around her, a flurry of fish flew from their mermaid-laden haven, causing a soft current to wash over her face, calming the blush that threatened to rise on her cheeks.

"Mama," Kagura murmured, her eyes drooping closed from blissful exhaustion due to the day's events. "Mama, I want to go back to the surface tomorrow and the day after and forever..."

The gentleness of the sea came to a stop when Satsuki screeched, "NO!" and Kagura's brown eyes flew wide. She jumped to attention, gulping as every pair of eyes glared at her. "You must never go there again!" her mother continued. "Kagura, didn't I tell you not to fall in love!? Didn't I _tell_ you to be careful! The journey to the surface world is to teach you one thing: that we can never mix! They kill our brethren, they walk on two legs! Do _you _have legs!

"No, Mama," Kagura snapped. "I do not have legs, but I _do_ have something no one else here has! Determination! Perseverance! A will to fight for my love!" She turned to glare at every one at her siblings, then at her mother. "I'll win Prince Kyo's heart, and then you'll see!"

And, just like that, Kagura took off into the open ocean. And no one could see her tears.

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"Ooh, kowaii..." Kagura was in the darkest part of the sea; a place where even the bravest mermen didn't dare to come. But she knew what was down there; and she knew it could help.

Akito the Seawitch lurked the deep trenches of the ocean, always doing her shifty business in the shadows where no one could stop her. In the shadows, Akito was strong. In the shadows she had magic. And that's what Kagura intended to use. If she could trade something for legs, she could live on the surface. She could seduce Kyo and have him for her own! She could prove her sisters and her mother wrong; she would keep her love just like they could have. If they weren't afraid. And Kagura wasn't afraid. She was never afraid.

Unless you counted the moment small and slimy brushed against her tail.

With a screech, Kagura battered the object with one swing of the green fin, also propelling herself away from the strange, creepy, unseen thing. Kagura didn't know if it was a jellyfish or the tentacle of a giant squid, and sure as Davy Jone's Locker she wasn't taking any chances.

But instead of the battle cry of an attacking Kraken, the was met with an, "Oww!" and a small grunt of sorts. Then laughter followed.

"You could have been nicer," a taunting voice whined, and out from the shadows came two seahorses. Kagura blinked. Slimy? Neither of them looked particularly slimy. And really, what would two seahorses be doing in such a creepy place? They were the weakest of all sea creatures; how could they stand a chance?

"I'm sorry?" Kagura questioned, watching cautiously as the talking seahorse approached. Odd. Usually sea creatures couldn't talk...

"I apologize for my companion's idiocy," the second seahorse muttered. He was larger and sounded much more polite. "I am Hatori, and the cretin you hit was Shigure. I'm indebted to you."

"Ah..." Kagura droned, not sure what to make of the two strange creatures; Mama had warned her about such things as them. Sure, seahorses weren't exactly, well, intimidating, to say the least. But it wasn't their species that had Mama worried; no, it was the empty in their eyes, their intentions to bring her into the dark. It was that they had given theirs souls to the darkness. Then again, Mama had also warned her about Akito...

But Kagura did not mind in the least. In her opinion, questionable - though they seemed pretty welcoming in her eyes - sea critters that couldn't lift a finger against her were much better company than her family at this point. They did not discriminate for her love of the surface (at least it seemed they wouldn't) and surely they wouldn't yell at her for voicing her desires; for _pursuing _that which was important to her. It was their profit that she should desire things, for it brought her soul closer to the dark depths of which they haunted. Desires would corrupt her, no matter how little, and she knew this. Accepted it. Possibly even welcomed it.

"Could you please tell me where Akito the Seawitch of the Pacific happens to be?" Kagura asked in her politest tone, a tremor of fear breaking through what she hoped to be a calm appearance. Lest not show the ones of the dark fear, for it is like blood to a shark; a beacon for the attack. Even if these inhabitants of the murky waters happened to be pitiful, powerless seahorses.

The one that had a swell on his head, the one that had been introduced as Shigure, laughed jovially. It was such a sight to see such a big laugh come from such a small creature. "That is precisely why we are here, my dear! True, we were not expecting you, but there is no such thing as a coincidence! It was destiny; our meeting! Now, follow Ha-ri and I and you will meet Akito."

"Hai, Shigure-san." Kagura nodded, a small hint of a grin seeping through the emotional barrier she had put up to keep all the fear from engulfing her features. Who knew such supposedly evil creatures could be so helpful? "What do you mean by destiny?"

Shigure shrugged - as much as a seahorse could, anyway - and answered, "Destiny refers to an event that would definitely happen. Without it, nothing is possible. From one thing, you see, many other things can be imagined. And yet there is a path that life must take; a predetermined course. Yours has led to our meeting. Mine is to lead you to the answer of your desires."

"That sounds very smart," Kagura muttered to herself. "I never knew a seahorse could have such a way with words! You could become quite the novelist." Shigure only laughed and shook his tiny head.

"Be forewarned," Hatori intervened, "Akito asks for a price of each customer. There is no such thing as a gift; for one thing to be claimed, sonething of equal value must be sacrificed." Kagura shrugged, but the seahorse continued. "Speak with caution. Words can easily be twisted. And you must show sincerity. Akito likes not one who puts no effort forth."

"Right," Kagura huffed. "Lazy people are worthless! It's such a bad habit; I'm glad my Kyo isn't lazy!" At this point, both guides ignored Kagura's ranting, which surely turned into a jumble of compliments to the prince she knew nothing of. But that was what Kagura decided imagination existed for; so she could build her love up to be the epitome of men - a god in human skin.

In the midst of her incescent murmuring, the three had arrived upon a cavern that jutted deep into the ocean floor until it twisted horizontally, its path hidden from prying eyes. Kagura shuddered as she found herself being led closer and closer to the opening at the pace of a snail. Seahorses swam unbearably slow, she had decided. Scooping up the other two in her hands, she dove into the hole and sped through the tunnel. Finally she found a dim light bouncing off the rock walls and her stomach jumped higher to accompany the heart that beat fast within her chest. Was the infamously evil Akito just aroudn the bend? Despite common sense, she hoped so.

"Just go!" Kagura urged herself, and with one powerful swish of her tail she was propelled around the bend and into a much stronger light. To whoever was watching she gave a queasy smile, her eyes darting around the large, circular dead end to the passage.

Over in one corner were bottles of strange, unknown things, some of them moving the the beat of Kagura's frantic heart. Then, resting on a shelf of rock that jutted from the wall was a merperson skull, something the young mermaid really didn't want to see. There were a few books; something that truly baffled Kagura. She had yet to lay eyes on human letters, nevermind partake in the epic journey that would surely happen if she attempted to read such a thing. But what truly frightened the poor girl was the large cauldron in the center of the room, which emitted the eerie green glow that lit the cavern. Around it was a halo of light, then shadows seemed to lurk in the far places of the room. One of them seemed to be moving.

"It seems we have a customer," a cruel voice taunted, making even the seahorses in Kagura's hand shiver in fear. Kagura herself had nearly collapsed in a puddle of terror, but somehow managed to keep herself calm and in one piece. It was time to display her strength.

"I take it you are Akito," the mermaid said quite bluntly, her voice managing to stay straight and free from fright. "I am Kagura, and I have come to ask of you a favor."

The shadow moved; a person emerged. Kagura gasped at the sight that was before her. There stood a woman with a strange, haunting beauty she had never seen before; perhaps in was an affect the magic and maliciousness she was said to possess. Her hair was short and the deepest black, as here her deathly eyes and her lower half. Instead of a fish tail, the woman had eight thick, round tentacles laden with pink suckers. The blackness in her tentacles in hair contrasted her bale, pallid skin oddly, making it seem as if one half of her was disappearing and the other was glowing. Yes, this was definitely Akito.

"You've guessed right," she replied, her eyes taking in the mermaid before her. "Tell me your name, wench. I need your name to grant your deepest desires; if that is what you have seeked me for."

"Kagura," she asnwered.

"You seem quite willing to give your name to strangers, girl," Akito hissed. "It is foolish. Now, what do you wish, and what do you think is appropriate in exchange for my help?"

Kagura shrugged. "I want to become human," she whispered. "I want to be able to have my love return my affection. I want happiness."

Akito nodded, sighing as she made her way over to the vials that were sitting in the far end of the room. "For everything you desire you must pay an equal price in return. You can't get or give more; can't be more or less. You must be in balance, or else there'll be mishap. Whether it's to a person's physical self, or hidden fates, or spirits from another world, balance must always be present. That is why your soul shall be a perfect trade for a chance at happiness."

Kagura leaped away from Akito, tremors suddenly overtaking her body. "Y-you're going to kill me!? But how would I reach happiness then!? Don't you know mermaids cease to exist when they die?"

The seawitch only cackled maliciously at th mermaid's reaction before scolding, "You silly, foolish girl! I will not kill you. The weight of one's death is a very heavy one. As much as I would delight in such a thing, it causes trouble. Anyone who knows this would never kill. it's not worthwhile. Not in the long run."

"B-but souls..." Kagura stammered.

"Souls have different meanings," Akito explained with a small, cruel smile. "Souls can represent a person's important things. To fulfill a wish, the soul is presenting those important things as trade. I will take an important thing of yours should you want to fulfill your wish. This important thing should be the memories of your family; the only thing you have ever had in life. Would you accept my help for such a thing?"

"Yes!" Kagura exclaimed. "I do not care if I loose every memory of Isuzu, Machi, Kimi, Arisa, Saki... and Mama! Especially Mama!" Akito nodded and sighed.

"It's a simple spell," she muttered. "Now, just wait as I prepare."

With a dash from this vial and a pinch from that, Kagura and the two seahorses watched as Akito threw things into the cauldron, muttering queer things under her breath. Every now and then her eyebrows would crease and her lips would pucker into a frown. But finally, her scurrying came to a close and she wheeled on the mermaid before her.

"Come here, girl," she hissed. Kagura obeyed and Akito spread her long, dainty fingers wide. A strange green smoke from the pot before her surrounded them as she chanted to herself: "Lemures supremus! Lemures subter supter! Tribuo is piscis piscis suus votum! Occupo suus memoria! Lemures supremus , lemures subter supter , utor vestri ops temerarius meus to order! Tribuo mihi praemium , tribuo piscis piscis suus legs! Pro vestri opus EGO tribuo meus vita entwined per suus own! Lest is intereo pro terra recipero suus , EGO mos pariter! Lemures supremus , lemures subter supter , tribuo is pactum of votum!"

Kagura watched in amazement as the emerald substance swirled around her body. Then with a cry she felt a searing in her fin; it was ripping in two! The blood mixed with the green and she screamed; her head, too, felt like it was about to explode! Kagura collapsed onto the sand, only to have her hands clasp to her throat. She couldn't breathe! She was going to die!

"Shigure!" Akito's voice bellowed over the roar of swirling water, "Return to your original form! Take the girl! Bring her to land, do not let her die! Until she has made her way onto the sand her demise is mine! Do not let her drown, or you who have bound your life to mine shall perish as well!"

Kagura felt a strong hand clasp in her own; what a strange surprise it was. But as her chest burned from emptiness, she could not open ehr eyes, even as she was pulled quickly up. But even without her sight, Kagura knew she was approaching a brighter future. A chance at happiness.

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Hey! Sorry it took me so long to get this up. Really, thw first art was written on whim. Didn't even use Word. So, yeah. The chant Akito said was in Latin. Literally, it meant:

Ghosts above! Ghosts below! To give out this fish his prayer! To take possession his memory! Ghosts above , ghosts below , to use your singular bold my command! To give out me reward , to give out fish his legs! For your deed I to give out my life entwined very his own! Lest this to perish for earth to regain his , I will likewise! Ghosts above , ghosts below , to give out this agreement of prayer!

Apparently, there was no female in the Roman times. I honestly did type in "she." Either way, this is hard to decipher the was it translates. I wasn't sure if they had a word for mermaid, so I just put fish. Do you get the point? I hope so. Well, it's kind of, like... four AM. Sigh. Even hough it's summer I still gotta go to bed. There's band practice tomorrow, and I still gotta go over my marching band music. Groooaaaannnn. It looks hard. So, ja' ne. I'll get the next part out when I can. Review, ne?


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